Regional shutdown
Internet services were suspended in several regions in Iran on 19 January. Reports later determined that the Internet had been deliberately suspended to allow the questions of the national University entrance exams to be distributed. The #KeepItOn coalition, of which the Internet Society is a member, urges authorities to abstain from implementing Internet shutdowns during exams, noting a lack of evidence demonstrating their impact on exam cheating.
- Total Duration 3 hours
Iran
- Population
- 90,608,707
Freedom House rates Internet freedom as Not Free
Local impact
Internet services were suspended in several regions in Iran on 19 January. Reports later determined that the Internet had been deliberately suspended to allow the questions of the national University entrance exams to be distributed. The #KeepItOn coalition, of which the Internet Society is a member, urges authorities to abstain from implementing Internet shutdowns during exams, noting a lack of evidence demonstrating their impact on exam cheating.
Related documentation
No official cause documentation was made public.
Other supporting information
Cloudflare Radar data shows a drop in Internet traffic in Iran from 4:30 UTC to 8:00 UTC on 19 January.
A multi-hour #Internet disruption was observed in #Iran 🇮🇷 between 0430-0800 UTC. The shutdown was reportedly intended to prevent cheating on academic exams.@Cloudflare data shows that the shutdown impacted a limited number of networks and regions.https://t.co/0SmfCvcdE7 pic.twitter.com/C2eRylZ6Z3
— Cloudflare Radar (@CloudflareRadar) January 19, 2023
Note: It’s difficult to measure the effect of local/regional Internet shutdowns as most measurements are done at a country level. Learn more
Social media
Iran's National Organization of Educational Testing sent SMS message to residents on 18 Jan that mobile internet access will be disrupted in #Iran on Thursday (19 Jan) and Friday (20 Jan) mornings to prevent cheating in university entrance exams.https://t.co/WIRchPPHHb pic.twitter.com/NA9TFb3bKP— SAMRIBackup (@SamriBackup) January 20, 2023